Sustainability for SMEs 

About the series

Over recent decades, there has been a gradual re-appreciation of on the part of society for the role of businesses. Whereas business has been perceived by many as existing purely for the pursuit of profits, there is a growing realization that profits are merely a yardstick. What they indicate is how successful a company has been in answering the expectations of stakeholders—consumers and investors, and the community, society, and environment. There are several facets of sustainability. One aspect relates to a firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), where businesses adopt good business practices as a responsible member of the society. This includes the use of scarce natural resources in a responsible manner through redesigning, conservation, and recycling. Adopting cleaner energy policies and following fair labor practices is also beneficial to the firm and for the society. Operating responsibly has been proven to be good for a company’s bottom line, as well. The UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute at the Singapore Management University and Sasin School of Management’s Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Centre are proud to present a series of webinars to help SMEs and growth-stage startups in Southeast Asia develop a better understanding of the sustainability challenge. There are a total of three webinars open to the public followed by a fourth one which is by invitation only, based on attendance at the prior three.

1. The Why and the What
2. The How (Measuring)
3. The How (Implementation)
4. Closing the Loop: Bringing it All Together

Webinar 2: The How (Measuring)

The webinar was the second in the series and focused on the following topic:

Sustainability as a Source of Competitive Advantage: 

Planning and Measuring Business Success

We are excited to have had the following speakers share their insights with us:

• Dr. Richard Welford, Senior Fellow at the Sasin School of Management & Senior Advisor, ELEVATE group of companies
• Dr. Ser-Keng Ang, Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of the UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute
• Benjamin Chua, Founder & CEO of Speco SG and Speco International

The event was kicked of by a presentation of Dr. Richard Welford before moving into a conversational fireside chat setting between Dr. Ser-Keng Ang, Dr. Richard Welford and Benjamin Chua. The presentation examined the business case for sustainability and how this applies to SMEs. Through the application of both research into sustainability and case studies of best practice, the presenter argued that the key to success is through innovation and creating shared value. Ultimately, it was shown that sustainability is a journey that will lead to increased profitability. Measuring success for the business and for society is important. Recommendations for SMEs were made. But ultimately, it was argued that the best measure for a successful sustainability strategy is profitability. WHEN: Friday, July 30th, 2021 at 2 pm (ICT)/ 3 pm (SGT) #SasinSEC #sasinschoolofmanagement